Children of Another World
by Churnok
Summary: After chasing an unknown intruder from another dimension, a mixed group of second generation heroes, along with two of their villains, are pulled through an unstable portal. Can they survive in a world that is both familiar and dangerously alien to them.
1. Chapter 1

**Children of Another World**

**By Churnok**

**Disclaimer**

**The JLU is the property of DC and Warner Brothers and is used here for non-profit entertainment purposes only. Although most of this story will take place in the main DCAU, the reality it starts in, and by extension all original characters and interpretations of DCAU characters from that reality, belong to myself and Supreme Starscream and are not to be used without our permission. Permission is given to anyone who wants to archive this story as long as they let us know first and give us a link to their site. We welcome any comments, questions, and/or constructive criticisms. Should we or our IM force be caught or killed, the Organization will disavow any knowledge of this fic.**

**Meet the New Cast**

Black Condor stood before the Council of Seven. Waiting for them to deliver their judgment. They were considered the heroic elite and all but two of them were founding members of the Justice League. The exceptions were the new Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, and Volcana, who had served the League as a mole within the Legion until she was discovered. Each time he stood in front of these seven chairs he felt like the accused in a secret courtroom, like in the conspiracy movies his buddy Bolt was so fond of. Even though everyone in the League knew about these meetings and even Ultraman had stood before the council waiting for a decision like this, he couldn't escape the feeling of foreboding. The lighting didn't exactly help ease his tension.

From left to right the council consisted of the surviving original members; Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, J'onn J'onzz, Flash, and the two newer members, sometimes called the replacements. The spokesperson for the council in these situations was J'onn J'onzz. The Martian was considered by many to be the fairest member of the council. Condor figured that people found it easier to take bad news from a guy who spoke in a monotone most of the time. Of course, even that can sour when you keep hearing the same bad news.

"Black Condor," the green shape shifter said, his voice echoing dramatically in the chamber and reinforcing the secret court feeling. "It is the decision of this council that you are not yet fit to join the Justice League."

Condor fought to control his temper and was glad the lighting and the stylized helmet of his biker style costume hid his expression in shadow. He knew, from stories of other league candidates, that throwing a temper tantrum with his powers would only serve to justify the judgment and probably result in a permanent ban. "May I ask why?"

"We have our reasons." This came from the infamous Dark Knight, who Condor knew was the strongest voice against him joining.

"And how am I to make myself fit for membership if you never say what those reasons are?" His mother would be proud of how even he kept his voice. He knew why they thought him "unfit" for membership. He just wanted the stuck up elitists of this group to admit it at least once.

"There are still some qualities of being a member of the League that we feel you have yet to exhibit and you must find them for yourself," said Superman. Had Batman said this, Condor would have thought it was more bull. But, despite the fact that Condor often fought with Superman's son, he still had enough respect for the Man of Steel to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Sorry kid. Better luck next time," Flash, one of Condor's few open supporters on the council, said by way of dismissal.

"I thank you for your time," Condor said through clenched teeth. He then turned and left the room. He wasn't surprised, but he still had to resist the urge to punch or scream a hole through a wall. As he walked out of the council's meeting room he thought about the council and who among them voted for or against him. Batman made no secret of his opposition and both Flash and Volcana were firm supporters, but the other members were harder to figure out.

* * *

The Watchtower cafeteria had the best orbital view of Earth and was a popular gathering place for the second generation of heroes, often called Teen Titans or Young Justice by the media. And like any high school cafeteria, it was unofficially divided by cliques.

At the best table were the children of the founders, often called the Elite by those who couldn't claim such heritage; Batwoman, Miss Martian, and their leader by right of duel bloodline, Ultraman.

Next on the social ladder were the sons and daughters of heroes that joined the League after the Thanagarian occupation, such as White Knight and his girlfriend Cowgirl who, like Ultraman, were the products of hero pairings. Scattered among these heroic offspring were the heroes who didn't have at least one hero parent. They were generally a mix of egos like Scorpion and hero worshipers that had somehow earned league status like Blue Scarab. Not to mention the new recruits who were still geeking out about being on the watch tower, annoying the more famous heroes, and getting lost trying to find the restrooms.

Last but not least were the four young heroes labeled by the media as the Outsiders for one reason or another. Although all four were children of heroes, and heroes in their own right, their outsider status meant that they were avoided by those looking to get in the good graces of the Elite. Of these four, only Black Condor was not a member of the League. He made his way to their usual table where two of his friends were waiting. Once there, he slammed his fist through the titanium tabletop with a scream of frustration before dropping down into a chair across from his best friend, and the newest wearer of the Scarlet Speedster mantle, Bolt.

"Let me guess," The red and gold android known as Technomage said as he calmly began repairing the metal with his magic enhanced nanites. "You didn't get accepted." At first glance, the magical mechanoid looked like a man in gold armor with red trim. The red cape that seemed to grow out of his back reinforced this. Some have even described his chest and shoulders as stylized football padding. It wasn't until you looked at his red face and noticed it was too expressive to be a mask that you realized he was an android.

"What was your first clue Gio?" Condor snapped as he removed his helmet and ran a hand through his black hair. He had been trying to become a member of the Justice League ever since he came of age, and according to the press he was as great a hero as his mother, Black Canary. But all that didn't seem to matter when compared to the dark secret of his conception. "Why do I keep doing this to myself?" he sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I mean they're never going to accept a half-breed like me."

"Speaking as a fellow half-breed," Bolt cut in as he put his yellow boots on the table. "I think you're selling yourself short buddy." The teen's costume was almost exactly like his father's. The only parts of his costume that was influenced by his mother, Livewire, were the electric blue lightning bolts replacing the yellow ones and streaking his exposed red hair.

"Easy for you to say Bolt. Your mother switched sides and your father is the Flash. One of the founding members of this club for heroes. Heck, he probably came up with the secret handshake. If you wanted, you could be sitting with the Elite. My mother is one of the heroes that were recruited after the Thanagarian invasion. And my father, if you can call him that, is just some villain she had a fling with." Condor had been conceived during a time when his mother and her then fiancé Green Arrow were having relationship problems. When her pregnancy revealed the affair Green Arrow canceled the wedding. Dinah never revealed who the father was. It was only by accident that anyone in the league even found out Condor's father was a villain. The teen hero firmly believed that the fact he was the bastard child of a League adversary, whose identity Canary kept secret even from her son, was what kept him from being accepted in the League.

"Wanna trade?" Technomage inquired with a smirk as he pointed to three connected circles that branded his forehead. Of all the second generation heroes, he had the strangest origins. He was a drone of Brainiac until Zatanna Miscast a spell that transformed him into a fusion of magic and science who was almost the exact opposite of the malevolent program that created his body. Unfortunately, despite having changed his appearance and his attempts to emulate his friends and adopted family, he still had to fight the Brainiac core program for control and was a probationary member, by his own request, until that battle was won. He wore his father's mark as a reminder to others of that internal battle. "I'd take an absentee father over a controlling one in a microsecond."

"Why is Dan's secret daddy such an issue again?" Bolt inquired. "I mean there can't be that many bad guys with super strength and Dan isn't his father."

"Dan's strength isn't necessarily at the same level as that of his father," Technomage said as he generated a hologram for visual aids. "His strength could be weaker, or even stronger than his biological father." Dan glared at Bolt for triggering yet another of their robotic friend's lectures. Not that Technomage needed much encouragement. One of the few things the gold armored cyber sorcerer had in common with his "Father" was a thirst for knowledge and genetics was one of his favorite topics. "Some second generation heroes do have weaker versions of their parent's powers. You, for example, are the child of the Flash and the reformed Livewire yet can't vibrate through objects, nor can you convert your body into energy." As he spoke the holograms changed to illustrate his examples with anime style graphics. "Others have stronger powers. White Knight is the son of Ice and Shining Knight and has greater control over ice than his mother. It could even be a random mutation caused by any number of factors. Meta-human genetics can be unpredictable." The final image showed a spinning roulette wheel of possible causes. Some were mythical or scientific like the werewolf bite or radiation exposure, while others were absurd like the image of Black Canary overdosing on garlic, pickles and onions.

"Hey Giovanni," Bolt said with a smirk, using the full human name Zatanna had given the metal mage. "What are the odds of a child of two metas having a sixth sense?"

"Given the nature of your inherited abilities and what we know of Extra Sensory Perception…"

"Because every time I look at Batwoman, I get a funny sensation. Like my virgin sense is tingling."

"Then you must get that tingle every time you look in a mirror Shock Jockey," a sultry voice said as slender, feminine arms wrapped themselves around Bolts shoulders. Their touch caused the electric blue lightning bolts on his costume to glow as they pulled him gently but firmly into dark red cloth barely covering the ample yellow bosom of the fourth Outsider. Etriganna, the She Demon.

"Sis, let Kyle go before you cause him to discharge," Gio deadpanned. Rolling his pale blue optics in mock annoyance while Dan tried to suppress a smirk. They both knew the effect she could have on any male just by walking into a room. And she had no qualms about using her feminine charms to devastating effect on both friend and foe.

"Aw, but I think he likes his new headrest," the red haired demoness purred as she tightened her hold. Knowing full well that she was pulling her friend's head deeper into her cleavage. "Don't you Kyle?"

In response, Bolt cupped his hands to her breasts and gave her a small blast of electricity. Forcing her to release him and back away reflexively.

"Oh, I love it when I get a guy charged up," she said with a wicked smile as she smoothed her red hair down and joined the boys at the table. She was the daughter of Jason Blood, his demon Etrigan, and Zatanna. Because of this, she was Gio's half sister after a fashion. In her demon form she was a female version of Etrigan with a costume to match consisting of a dark red tunic with a deep V neck, black mini skirt that was just long enough to keep the boys guessing, and a pair of her mother's black fishnet stockings ending in a pair of red stiletto boots. A dark blue cape completed the look. She retained her human father's red hair in both human and demon forms though in her mother's style. "So, do we get to rub Black Condor's new membership badge in Ultra-Dork's face?"

"No," Dan grumbled through clenched teeth. "Bat breath had his way again."

"Didn't you date his daughter?" Bolt inquired, having regained his composure after freeing himself from the sexy she demon's sensual embrace.

"No, I dated Bruce Wayne's daughter Helena," Dan corrected.

"Aren't they one and the same?"

"They share the same body," Gio stated, "but have different minds due to what happened after Bruce Wayne's wife, Lois Lane, was killed by Bane."

"My brother can have such a way with words," Etriganna sighed as she played footsie with Bolt.

"This information is common knowledge within the League," Gio continued. "I'm surprised you don't know this?"

"Hey, we can't all have perfect memories," Bolt countered as he moved his chair away from Etriganna's amorous foot and tried to loosen the costume material around his neck. "And it's not like she socializes much. Still, I bet dating her civilian side was interesting."

"Take my advice Bolt," Condor stated. "Never date a girl with multiple personalities. Especially when the personality that hates you was trained by Batman."

"Back to the topic at hand," Gio said as he pulled an old fashioned daily planner out of a chest compartment. "We had planned to celebrate Black Condor's new status as a league member…"

"Can we get the money back on that stripper?" Etriganna asked her brother with a straight face. Dan hoped she was kidding.

"But since the council has denied his application," Gio continued as if his sister hadn't interrupted. "What do we do with our afternoon now?"

Etriganna shrugged her shoulders. "Guess we go with plan B."

Bolt and Condor looked warily at the female member of their group with expressions of suspicion and worry. Finally Bolt said, "Do we want to know what plan B is, or is plausible deniability a good idea?"

The demoness just grinned.

* * *

Ultraman, also known as Jonathan Kent, watched the Outsiders from across the cafeteria as he doodled a female form on his computer sketchpad. He wanted to use his super hearing to eavesdrop on his rival hero, but there were rules against such a misuse of powers among the League. Besides, as the son of both Superman and Wonder Woman, he had to set an example for his fellow teens. He had to be the gold standard by which they measured themselves. Had to be the poster boy for what a teen hero should be. Etc, etc. It was something that was drilled into him, in one form or another, every time he did anything that caught the headlines either as Jonathan Kent or as Ultraman. He sighed as he turned back to his drawing. Despite their rivalry, John sometimes envied Condor. He at least could make his own reputation while John had the impossible task of living up to his parents combined reputations.

"Who are you drawing this time?" The gravelly female voice of Batwoman almost made John jump out of his chair.

"I'd put a bell on you if I thought it would help," John said as the dark heroine sat down with her tray of food. The bottom half of her battle suit's faceplate retracting so she could eat the burger and fries. Her armor was a female version of her father's costume but where his had been a mix of black and grey and made of a special cloth, hers was all black and made of a form fitted cloth-like alloy. The only color was the yellow oval around the black bat that her father had made famous. Instead of a belt, her equipment was incorporated into the armor. Even her cape and ears were loaded with surprises.

"It wouldn't," she stated. "My father once made me wear a suit of bells until I could move around the mansion without ringing."

John saved his work, locked the stylus, and turned off his pad. "Ever wonder what it would be like if we had normal lives?"

"Define normal," she requested in what could be considered deadpan humor if she was capable of humor.

"I mean what would life be like for us if we weren't the offspring of famous superheroes?"

"I most likely wouldn't exist, only Helena, while you would still have an inferiority complex because, even in his normal life, your father is still famous as a reporter and, judging by your visits to the Planet, he would still expect you to follow in his footsteps. Given his taste in women, your mother would most likely still be strong, though not an Amazon princess…"

John gave his fellow hero an annoyed look which let her know she had gotten her point across. "Anyone ever tell you that you could make a Vulcan look cheerful?"

If the Dark Knight's daughter had an expression on her face, it was hidden behind the glowing white lenses of her black mask. "You're the one inquiring about being normal. I was merely supplying the most likely scenario."

"You couldn't have given me something a bit more positive?" John inquired as he examined the lines of blue and red that ran up the sides of his mostly silver costume. He had taken his name and most of his costume design from an old Japanese TV hero in the vain hope of distancing his hero career from his parents. The only difference between his costume and the one worn by the TV character was the mask. Where the character had a full head covering that made him look kind of like a fish man, John just had a simple looking blue mask that covered his nose and mouth like a bandanna. Said mask was now loose around his throat and served both to hide his identity and filter his breathing. It wasn't easy to be a hero with both super breath, and dust allergies.

"I could," she acknowledged, "but then you would waste more time on pointless speculation."

"Do you know where White Knight and Cowgirl are," John asked. More to change the subject than out of genuine interest

"Suit. Access League computer for status of White Knight and Cowgirl," Batwoman ordered. Her battle suit had wireless access to just about every major computer system on or orbiting Earth. It took less than a minute for the information to be accessed. "They just came back from a mission with Miss Martian and are now escorting two members of the Brotherhood of Evil to the brig for questioning."

John chuckled. "Which members of the Brotherhood were caught this time?"

"Spider-Boy and Fatality."

"What?" Jonathan shouted as he gave her an annoyed glare. "That web headed punk was there and nobody called me?" Spider-Boy and Ultraman had been rivals since the beginning of the web swinger's criminal career. For the young hero it was a rivalry that matched the one between his father and the long dead Lex Luthor. For his arachnid adversary it was more of a status symbol. It didn't help that Spider-Boy tended to get the upper hand when they fought.

"You were in a training session and they were the heroes closest to the area," she stated indifferently.

"Well I still should have been told," he muttered as he turned his pad back on and resumed his drawing.

* * *

Meanwhile, near the Watchtower's brig, a shadowy figure emerged from a dimensional portal. "So far so good," he whispered to himself as he closed the portal. Now to find the central computer room and get some information on this second rate reality." He made his way silently down the hall. Knowing that the jamming devices woven into his stealth suit made him undetectable to all electronics and the energies from the portal temporarily scrambled video surveillance and was undetectable to almost all other forms of electronic detection.

"Can we switch heroes? Mine has cold hands." joked a teenage male voice from around the bend. The figure pressed against the wall and adjusted his suit's control to make himself invisible as four figures came around the bend. A guy in full plate medieval style ice armor and a green haired girl in a functional yet sexy green cowgirl outfit were escorting their manacled prisoners, a Spider-Man knockoff in a leather jacket and a girl who looked like a cross between a snake and a cheetah. Her long red hair was the only indicator that she had some human genetics. Snake people tend to be hairless and the feline races he knew of either just had fur, or had hair that matched the fur. The hybrid was also wearing a muzzle. Probably because she had venomous fangs. Otherwise the loudmouth spider punk would also be wearing one.

"Stay thy tongue varlet," the ice knight said in annoyance. "Lest I freeze thy mouth shut."

"Aw let Bug Boy yammer," the cowgirl said. Her western accent matched her outfit though she looked like she could also have Latin heritage. "Sides, anything he says can and will be held against him in a court o' law."

"What if I said you had a beautiful body Cowgirl?" the web-headed prisoner asked as he openly eyed the green clad woman. "Would you hold that against me?"

"Enough!" the knight shouted as he slammed his prisoner against the wall right next to the invisible intruder. "I warn thee. I can tolerate thy prattle, but one more slight against my lady's honor and I shall be transporting thee to thy cell in an ice cube."

"OK man. I was just fooling around. No need to lose your cool."

Before the knight could punish his prisoner for that pun, Cowgirl spoke up. "That's enough, both o' you. Much as I appreciate the whole chivalry thing White Knight, the last thing I want is ta fill out a dang incident report because mah boyfriend roughed up his prisoner."

The knight sighed. "I offer my apologies milady."

"Sorry don't get Spider-Boy and Fatality locked up no matter how fancy it is. Now move."

They resumed their walk down the hall. Unaware of the intruder. As soon as they were far enough away he separated from the wall and resumed his search for the central computer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tricks and Traps**

Once the villains were secured in separate cells of the brig their restraints automatically released and their captors departed.

"Hey, Knight-sicle," Spider-Boy shouted as the young heroes left. "When do they serve lunch in this dump?" The sealing of the brig door was the only response.

"Must you always make a pest of yourself?" Fatality said from the cell across from his as the hybrid of snake, cheetah, and human worked her jaw. The muzzle had been designed to keep her from using her venomous fangs. No thought had been put into making it comfortable though.

"Aww come on Fatality. What's the point of being super villains if you can't try to push a few hero buttons? Besides, you usually like when I joke around."

"I smelled something unusual in the hallway. Like there was someone in there other than the four of us."

Spider-Boy gave his friend a curious look. "Are you sure? Because I didn't sense anything." Of all his powers, Spider-Boy relied on his ability to sense danger the most.

"No I'm not sure," she snapped. "The muzzle kept me from flicking my tongue out for confirmation." Although Fatality's appearance was mostly that of a humanoid cheetah, her unusual heritage gave her both a feline sense of smell and a serpentine one. Using both her tongue and her nose to smell often gave her a clearer picture of her surroundings than using them separately.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to offend you." He began walking up the back wall of his cell and onto the ceiling so that the security cameras couldn't see him thumb a talisman disguised as a button on his jacket. When it glowed red he knew it was safe to talk. "So when do you want to break out?"

"Now," she snarled. She could stand captivity for only short periods of time before it started getting to her. But that wasn't why she was in such a hurry.

"Well, I was going to wait until after lunch…"

"If there is someone else here, they could be after the same thing we are and I didn't let myself get captured just to have someone else claim the prize."

"I ever tell you that you're lovely when you're impatient."

"Just throw the Red Witch's party favors so we can get what we came for," she said as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out four sticks that looked like metal chopsticks with funny runes on them.

"Here's hoping they work," the teen villain said as he threw them at the force field that kept him in. Upon impact they began to glow, elongate and align themselves in a square. Then a hole appeared in the field within the area of the square. Once it was big enough for Spider-Boy, he jumped off the ceiling, through the hole, spinning in midair so he could land on his hands and convert his momentum in to a roll. Unfortunately he miscalculated and rolled into the field trapping Fatality. She couldn't help but laugh as the field repelled him. "Note to self. Work on my acrobatics." He shook his head to clear it. His spider-sense had warned him about the impact, but not in time for him to change direction.

"Serves you right for showing off," she stated, still smiling at her friend's stupidity.

He stood up with a groan. "Maybe I should just leave you here," he quipped as he checked his red and blue costume for damages.

"Beauty such as mine doesn't do well trapped in a cage," she said in a sultry purr as she struck a sexy pose that only a union of snake, cat, and human could manage. Displaying both her chest and posterior effectively while stroking her leg with her tail suggestively.

He smiled beneath his mask. "I kinda like you in a cage."

"Just open the cell or I'll tell the super zeros about your…"

"OK, OK, I was just joking around." He took a deep breath and began punching buttons on the keypad. Since an incorrect sequence would trigger alarms and knockout gas, he was betting that the same spider sense that kept him safe in a fight, would also guide his hands to the correct sequence. His faith in his powers paid off and the field shut down. "Now, how about we do a little shopping and head home." He said as she sashayed out of her cell.

The door to the brig was designed to only lock in the event of a cell failure so proved no hindrance to the pair. After making sure the coast was clear, they checked the schematics they had stolen from one of the League's on planet towers and headed for the Watchtower's vault.

* * *

Meanwhile, the mysterious phantom was silently making his way to where the map in his helmet's memory said the central computer room should be. Ears and other sensors alert for any approaching life forms. Going invisible only worked when he was standing still and could be a serious drain on the suit's power. So the less he had to be invisible the better.

His scan of the room revealed no life forms so the intruder entered and stifled an alien expletive as he found the hero equivalent of a school computer lab.

"Smegging trans-dimensional variance," he muttered. He had hoped to access the central computer and thus get the most information about this reality. His map was from a reality that was twelve metrons pole-ward of this one so such differences should have been expected. But he was working on borrowed time the moment he started this mission and to return with nothing was to ensure the maximum punishment. So he locked the door and sat down at a station to see what information he could find.

* * *

"Why do you insist on doing this?" Batwoman inquired with a slight tinge of annoyance in her otherwise neutral voice as she and Ultraman made their way to the brig.

"Oh like you wouldn't want to see one of your rogues in a cell."

"Only if I was the one who put the rogue there. Otherwise, confirmation from a teammate would be satisfactory."

"What if it was Bane?"

"Then it wouldn't be a cell. It would be an airlock," the new Dark Knight stated in a tone so cold that it made her normal voice seem friendly by comparison. Bane had been hired to kill her mother, Lois Lane-Wayne, when the reporter had become too big a threat to Rupert Thorne's organization. That loss at 8 years old, combined with the divergent treatment she had received from her father's two personas, had caused her split personality. To say that both personalities bore a grudge against the muscled mercenary was a considerable understatement.

"OK, not the best example, but you get my point. I won't believe that Spider-Boy is contained until I see the little insect in a cell myself."

"Arachnid," she stated. Her voice regaining its normal level tone.

"Insect, arachnid, two-legged ant with six legs, who cares. I just want to see if he's as cocky behind bars."

"Force field."

Ultraman shot the black clad heroine a dirty look. He hated when she corrected those around her like this. Sometimes he wasn't sure if she was just being literal, or was trying for deadpan humor.

* * *

"Tell me again why we're heading to lab 6?" Black Condor said as he and his friends made their way to one of a dozen computer labs on the tower.

"Because you need to release some frustration after being turned down for membership," Etriganna stated over her shoulder as she lead the way, her hips swaying in a way that was almost hypnotic. "And since we can't just pop back to my place for a quickie, the best way to release that frustration is through some online gaming. Besides, I've been meaning to level up my paladin anyway."

The computer labs were divided by function. The high security labs, also known as work labs, were reserved for education of heroes and league business. They had access to the League central database, required the presence of a senior league member to enter, and had thoroughly tested security measures in place to prevent both hacking from an outside source and using them for online gaming and other recreational activities.

The low security, or rec-labs were for general use, had no access to the central database, and could be used for anything except porn. Lab 6 was particularly popular for the second generation heroes who enjoyed playing Warquest.

"Personally I'd rather vent by pounding Ultraman," Condor muttered.

"I wouldn't mind that quickie myself," Bolt said more out of false bravado than anything else. Like most of the male heroes, and some of the female ones, he was attracted to the she demon. But his feelings were deeper than mere lust and he wanted more than just a tumble in the sheets. He wanted to know she felt the same way about him as he felt about her but knew her reputation for teasing even her closest friends. So he tried to hide it.

"It would blow your virgin mind," Condor said with a knowing smirk. Then he leaned over to whisper, "which do you think. Thong or G-string?"

Bolt suppressed a blush. "Thong," he said hastily.

"Care to put money on it?"

"There is a probability that she isn't wearing anything," Technomage commented. The appearance of his metal red head causing both teens to jump.

"Gio stay out of this." Condor was the first to recover as he quietly scolded the enchanted android whose head retracted back to where his body was walking in the rearguard position.

"Why? I simply wish to participate in the wager experience," Gio said in puzzlement.

"But she's your sister," Bolt put in hoping the subject of their conversation didn't overhear them.

"Half-sister technically, though I fail to see what that has to do with this."

"It would be wrong," Condor stated as if trying to convince himself as much as their friend.

"Explain."

The boys were at a momentary loss until Bolt said, "It would be like insider trading. You live with her so you have information that could give you an unfair advantage in the wager."

Gio contemplated this for a moment. "There is logic to your argument. Very well. I shall wait until I can participate fairly in a wager."

"Hey slowpokes!" Etrigana shouted. "My paladin isn't facing that balrog alone."

* * *

The phantom muttered an alien curse. He had found nothing on this computer that was worth the risk he was taking and now he could hear the sound of approaching feet. He disconnected himself from the computer and pressed himself against the wall by the door. Activating his invisibility just as the lock was overridden and the door slide open.

"Why would anyone lock a rec-lab?" a very attractive yellow skinned female said as she entered followed by a red and yellow android and two costumed males.

"Unknown sis," the android said as he examined the door. "No indication that either keypad was used and a check of the tower computer indicates that no one transmitted a lock command through the system."

"Leave it Gio," the teen in the modified Flash costume said as he and the other two sat down at computers. "We probably just got here before someone's prank got to phase two."

The android seemed to consider this possibility as he joined his friends at the computers. "Or perhaps the prank is in place and I should do a scan of the room."

"Later Gio," the other guy in the group said. Based on his costume he probably took after Black Canary in some way. "Right now we have trolls to trash."

As soon as the game began to load on the computers the phantom knew he was trapped. Ever though online games were multiversally addictive to the point that players lost awareness of anything outside the game reality, these four were trained heroes and already on the alert for a prank. He would either have to risk waiting until he thought they were truly engrossed, or risk hacking the station's security to trick it into sounding an alarm anywhere but in this room. This was not a situation he was trained for.


End file.
